Thermal-controlled shutter.



E. CAHILL.

THERMAL CONTROLLED SHUTTER.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 16, I916.

Patented Apr. 3,1917.

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EDWARD CAI-IILL, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

THERMAL-CONTROLLED SHUTTER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Iatented Apr. 3, 1917.

Original application filed September 8, 1915, Serial No. 43,599. Divided and this application filed March 16,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD OAI-IILL, a

citizen of the United States, residing at New York, in the county and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Thermal-Controlled Shutters, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact specification.

This invention relates to thermal-com trolled shutters or doors for automatically closing passage ways or windows in case of fire in order to prevent an extensive coniiagration.

It is the aim of this invention to provide a closure of this kind which will be more reliable in operation but which will not be aptto be released accidentally, such accidental release in prior devices having caused the stripping of gears and sometimes even the loss of life. Other objects will appear as the description proceeds.

T he invention will be first hereinafter described in connection withthe accompanying drawings, which constitute a part of this specification, and then more specifically defined in the claim at the end of the description.

In the accompanying drawings, wherein similar reference characters are used to designate corresponding parts throughout the several views:

Figure 1 is a broken elevation of a shutter constructed substantially in accordance with the present invention, said shutter being illustrated in its closed or lowered position.

Fig. 2 is a detailed view of the train of gears at the right hand end of the shaft for raising the shutter.

Fig. 8 is a broken horizontal section through the hollow shaft on which the shutter is rolled.

Fig. 1 is an enlarged transverse section through the left hand end portion of the shaft, showing the lockingpawl in active position, as when the shutter is held in its raised position and the. fusible link and chains connected thereto are fastened in the position indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 1 and Fig. 5 is a similar view showing the pawl out of locking position, as when the fusible link has been separated by excessive heat and the shutter has been dropped.

The shutter 1 is ofthe rolling type and Serial No. 8 1,575.

is adapted to move vertically in guiding grooves 2 at the sides of the passageway 3.

At the top of the passageway the shutter is attached to collars 1 fast on a hollow shaft 5 which is inclosed in a casing 6. The shaft 5 is hollow and has its left hand end journaled around a hollow lug 7 which is part of a supporting bracket 8. Journaled within the lug 7 and preferably running within ball-bearings 9, is a notched wheel 10, the shank 11 of which extends entirely through the lug 7. A coiled spring 12 is housed within the left hand section of the shaft 5 and has one of its ends attached to the inner end of the shank 11 of the notched wheel 10, the other end of the spring being fastened to a pin 13 fitted transversely to the shaft. Wheel 10 may have a bearing pin 110 journaled in the bracket 26.

The right hand end of the shaft 5 is fastened to a collar 14; journaled around a stud 15 rigidly fastened to right hand end plate 16 of the casing 6. The stud 15 extends inward beyond the collar 14 and is attached to one end of a coiled spring 17 which is housed in the right hand end section of the shaft 5. The other end of the spring 17 is fastened to a transverse pin 18 fixed to the shaft. The collar 14 preferably has ballbearings 19 between it and the stud 15, and has a gear wheel 20 rigidly mounted thereon beyond the end of the shaft 5. A train of gears 21 communicate rotary motion to the collar 1i, and shaft 5 which is rigidly fastened to the same, from an auxiliary shaft 22 also carrying a sprocket wheel 23 over .which a sprocket chain 25 is passed for rolling up the shutter.

Rigidly mounted on the left hand end bracket 26 of the casing 6 is a pawl 27 having two teeth or projections 28 and 29 at opposite ends thereof. The pawl is pivoted at 80 near the end bearing the tooth 28, which is the lower end of the pawl when the same is in looking position, as shown in Fig. 4. When in this position, the teeth 28 and 29 extend into adjacent notches 31 in the wheel 10 and the pawl is arranged in an inclined position so that when released it will automatically swing down to the unlocked position illustrated in Fig. 5. The pawl is ar-' ranged in looking position, Fig. 4, when the shutter has been rolled up on the shaft 5, and said pawl is held in this position by a chain or other flexible connection 32 which is shaft and within the casing 6,

ebe e he and down passed over bearing pulleys 33 through the bottom portion of'the casing and along the front thereofwhere it is secured by a fusible link 34, Fig. l. The fusible link may be fastened directly to the bottomof the casing, or another section of chain 85 may be connected to said link and have its other end made fast to the right hand end of the casing, see Fig. 1.

\Vhen the shutter is installed, the tension of the spring 17 is, according to the weight of the shutter, made such as to prevent its wiolent'descent when the shutter is liberated from the tension of the spring 12. The tensi'on of the spring 17 also permits the shutter sion of the spring 12 will be-relieved and the counterbalance being thus destroyed, the

shutter will 'fall'from its own weight. As the shutter falls, the tension on the spring 17 is increased so 'as to cushion the descent of the shutter.

Referring again to Fig. 4, the tooth29 at the free end ofthe pawl :27 serves to lock the tooth wheel 10 by engaging one of the notches 81 in its periphery. The other tooth 28 extends into another notch-31 in the wheel 7 l0 and when the pawl is released is struck by the wall of said notch, thereby throwing the pawl outward with the tooth 29- entirely free from the notch which it had engaged. Both ofthe teeth 28 and 29 are pitched so as to engage only one of the walls of each notch.

It will thus be seen that I have provided aid a thermal controlled shutter or door with a loose shaft which facilitates my desired object, for upon release of spring the shaft 5, which is journaled around the hollow lug 7, is driven reverse to wheel 10 and positively releases the pawl. It will also be noticed that gravity, without the aid of the spring, will also release the pawl when link is fused.

It will further be observed that I have provided eight notches 31 in wheel 10, which in securing a very desirable result in the. regulating or counterbalancing of the springs, so that the' spring counterbalance ca-n be varied by one-eighth of a turn either way in order to obtain a perfect counterbalance for the rolling shutter.

lVhile I have shown some of the train of gears 21 arranged outside the end plate or bracket 16, in Figs. 1 and 2, it will be understood that all of these gears may be inclosed in the casing 6, or if desired parts shown inclosed may be exposed without departing from my invention.

This application is a division of my former pending application for thermal-controlled shutter filed September 8, 1915, Ser. N 0. @9599.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

Thermal controlled locking means for shutters, including a notched wheel and a pawl having two teeth to engage difierent notches in the wheel, one of said teeth being at the free end of the pawl and actively engaging its notch, the other tooth being at the pivoted end of the pawl and serving as a means for throwing the pawl away from the notched wheel when the active tooth is released from its notch.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

EDWARD CAI-IILL.

. Copies of'this patent 'may be obtained forfive cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

v I Washington, D. 0. 

